Unfortunately, Jessica was unfazed. She screamed back even louder. "You ungrateful girl. I worked so hard to raise you. Think of all the money the family was fined because of you, and yet I didn't throw you away, sell you, or let you starve. And you ask if I think about you. I should have smothered you when you were born to save us the money and the rice. Speaking of rice, I'm done. Your brother is hungry and waiting for me to cook. Think about what I said and don't be stupid. I'm waiting for your news."
Laoise hung up before her mother could finish the last sentence. She realized she shouldn't have answered the phone at all. Her mother only made everything a thousand times worse.
At dusk, Percy returned home.
Laoise was curled up asleep on the rug. Beside her lay a scattering of chocolate wrappers. The foil had been torn into tiny pieces, with a small, haphazard pile arranged into the shape of a heart. It looked just like her own shattered heart.
An infinite sense of pain and pity welled up in Percy's chest. He crept over to the sofa, crouched down, and leaned over. Gently and tenderly, he picked Laoise up and carried her toward the bedroom.
As they passed through the hallway, Laoise stirred. Percy looked down and met her gaze. Her eyes were dark and bright, staring right at him. They were calm, yet they hid an ocean of pain. His heart tightened. In that moment, he realized with absolute clarity that no matter how gentle the outside temptation might be, or how warm the comfort offered elsewhere, he still loved the woman in his arms.
She looked at him with her obsidian eyes. When she spoke, her voice was raspy and melancholic. "Put me down," she said. Then she added, "Let's talk, Percy."
They sat side by side on the living room sofa. It was too quiet, so Laoise turned on the television to any random channel. She just needed a bit of background noise so the atmosphere wouldn't feel so rigid and awkward.
Finally, Laoise found the courage to break the silence. "There is one question I have always wanted to ask you. Back then, what exactly was it that you liked about me?"
Percy looked into her tear-streaked eyes. They were clear and pure, just as they had been the first time they met.
They had met at a university mixer for schools in the same city. He was a brilliant student from a top-tier university—smart, handsome, and the center of attention. After they got to know each other, she told him about her rural family, a household that heavily favored sons. She told him she had two older sisters, and her parents had desperately wanted a boy. By luck, the third pregnancy yielded a boy, but it was a pair of fraternal twins, and a girl had arrived alongside him. Her parents deemed that extra daughter redundant. From a young age, she had felt invisible at home. She wanted attention, but she couldn't afford to act out, or she would be beaten for being despised. She could only rely on being obedient, on smiling, and on trying to please others. Even so, she was always the one left behind. She told him how much she craved familial attention and recognition.
"Back then, I liked you because you were pure and kindhearted. You laughed easily, you made others happy, and no one could ever stay mad at you." Percy looked into her eyes as he answered. "After learning about your family, I felt even more for you. I wanted to give you the recognition you lacked. I wanted to help you change things, to change how your family treated you, and to give you a beautiful, happy life."
Percy's voice choked up. It was clear that this had been his choice from the start; he had chosen to face her family with her. But he had broken his promise. He had grown tired, discouraged, and unable to endure it anymore, so he had gone out looking for comfort. He found his life ironic—he had loved her precisely because of her family, and yet now, he had cheated because he despised them.
He was speechless, but Laoise began to smile. She smiled with such gratitude that her eyes turned red. "You're right. Thanks to you, I really did have a few years of happiness. Over these past few years, my family has valued me more. I could stand a little taller when I spoke to them. My parents and siblings, who never seen me before, began to praise and acknowledge me. All of this is because of you. Percy, thank you, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you through."
Hearing these words, which sounded more like a farewell, Percy's heart ached. He couldn't help but pull Laoise into his arms. He didn't want her to see his tears, but his heavy, congested voice gave him away. He held her and sobbed, "Laoise, I was a fool. Please forgive me this time. I want to live a good life with you. I don't want to lose your cooking, and I don't want to come home after a long day to an empty house without you there to massage my shoulders."
Percy's voice grew thick with emotion and cracked. "I was wrong. I cannot live without you. If you weren't there every day to do the chores, take care of my needs, think of ways to make me happy, and look after my parents' health on my behalf—thinking of everything for them—how miserable, boring, and chaotic would my life become?"
He took a sharp breath, trying to suppress his sobs. "Just thinking about those things makes my heart feel empty. You've been so good to me and taken such good care of me that I started to take it for granted. I let my own sacrifices for your family become exaggerated in my mind, and I stopped seeing the value of what you did. But when I thought about never having those simple things again, I realized how precious they were. This house wasn't built by me alone; you sacrificed so much more, but we both just assumed it was normal. Laoise, give me one more chance. I was wrong, and I still love you so much. I won't be weak again, and I won't escape through an affair ever again. We will face your family together from now on, okay."
Laoise rested her chin on Percy's shoulder. Tears formed two small rivers on her cheeks. This was the first time she had ever heard Percy acknowledge her contribution and value to their family. If she had heard this under normal circumstances, she would have been overjoyed, but now, it only made her feel more wronged and heartbroken. Did he really have to cheat just to gain this level of understanding?